Motor vehicle



' WIT] INVENTOR. 121g '612 i i an Patented Jan. 9, 1923.

than star rranr FRANK A. WHITTEN, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNQB T0GENERAL MOTORS CORPO- RATION, 0F DETEUIT, MICHIGAN,

A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

MQTQR vnnrcnn.

Application filed January 16, 1919. Serial No. 271,504.

To all whom it may concern...

Be it known that 1, FRANK A. Wmrrnn,

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Detroit, Wayne County,State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in.Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a specification. v

The present invention has reference to engine supporting means for motorvehicles, its object being to provide a support wherein the secondarytwisting stresses in the engine casing, due to racking and twisting ofthe vehicle frame, are substantially eliminated One important .featureof the invention consists'in a front support for the engine having anarrow flange-like bearing element on the engine arranged to be receivedin a bearing on theframe, the parts being so constructed and arrangedthat'the bearing element may tilt both longitudinally and transverselyin the bearing and may slide slightly bodily in the bearing. The varioustwisting stresses and other stresses are thus eliminated in the frame,theengine supports 25 and the engine unit and accessory parts, an

provision is also made .for expansion or contraction or for slightvariations in construction. I

i The invention also consists in an engine support of the nature statedwherein the bearing includes a resiliently held cap, whereby pounding ofthe engine and the consequent wear and noise, incident to ordinarconstructions is avoided.

idle invention further consists 1n rear supports for the engine soconstructed that the latter is resilientl held down on either side andis free to ti t slightly without 1 nducing objectionable twistingstresses 1n ts arms. The invention further consists n means whereby theengine is carried directly on the vehicle frame in such manner that thepro er alignment of the engine shaftis more rea ily permitted thanheretofore.

The invention also consists in the details of construction shown,described and claimed. Among other things, these details permit a readyinterchange of motors, avoid the danger of stripping the threads of theengine retaining boltsand insure a proper lubrication of the frontbearing.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a part side ole-- vation, part sectionshowing a preferred embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryview looking from the left in Fig. 1, portions of the rear supportsbeing broken away Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view showing the frontsupport, Fig. 4 is a section on the line 1VIV of, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 1s afragmentary front elevation showing a modification in the trunnionbearing, and F g. 6 is a section on the line VIVI of Fig. 5. Figs. 7 and8 are fragmentary views of alternative constructions of the rear andfront sup-ports respectively.

The side bars 1 and front cross bar 2 of the vehicle frame are ofordinary construction, and the engine 3, as usual,includes a rigid uppercrank case section 4 comprising a flywheel housing 5 and a removablelower 7 0 crank case section 6.

The section 4 includes a forward extension 7 which, in the embodiment ofthe invention that appears in the drawings, forms a chamber for timinggears (not shown). This extension is continued as a cover plate 8 andbeyond the latter, as a tubular .bearing or enclosure 9 for the usualcranking shaft 10. Evidently the Whole extension might be made in asingle piece, but-it is preferred to make the cover plate separate fromthe engine casing, and to also make the bearing 9 separate from thecover. As shown, the

' cover plate is connected to the casing by cap screws 12, and. includesat its front end (Fig.- 4) an annular. flange 13 to which the bearing 9is secured in like manner by cap screws 14. Formed either on the coverplate 8.

or the bearing 9-preferably on the latter, as it may then be morereadily machined- .90 is a narrow flange 15 which rests in a trunnionbearing 16 secured to the cross bar 2 by bolts 17 The bearing 16, intheembodiment shown, is hollowed out at 18 to receive the heads ofthelower cap screws 14, and includes the loose cap 19 that conforms to theupper half of the flange 15 and is connected to the rest of the bearingby bolts 20. Springs 21,interposed between the nuts 22 of the bolts andthe cap, hold the latter 1 0 firmly and yet resiliently, in engagementwith the flange.

The rear end portion of the casin sectio 4 (as shown, the fly wheelhousing 5% is provided with oppositely disposed outwardly extending armsor feet 25, that rest on brackets 26 riveted or otherwise secured to theside bars, the arms being continued down along the inner faces of thebrackets at 27 to transmitside thrusts from the engine to \the frame andvice versa. For the purpose of preventing the elements 25 from risingfrom the brackets, the bolts 28 are provided, the holes in the bracketsbeing of appreciably greater diameter than that of the bolts, whereby'sufiicient lateral shifting is allowed to bring the correspondingsurface 27 into engagement with the bracket, without tending to shearthe bolts. Springs 29, interposed between the nuts of the bolts and thebrackets, resiliently hold the feet down to the supports. These springsare of importance in that the racking and twisting of the frame (whichtends to raise either the rear or the front edge of the arm from thebracket) may freely take place without inducing the heavy twistingstresses in the arms which would otherwise result,

and which are a constant source of breakage.

It is evident that the flange 15 and bearing'1619 permit slight relativelongitudinal movement between the engine casing and the f'rame,,andthat-the flange 15, being narrow, also permits relative tilting betweenthe engine and the front cross bar. Were the flanges of considerablelength, local bending stresses, which would tend to cause breakage,would be set up; and were the cap fixed to the rest of the bearing by anonresilient connection, the ordinary variations of manufacture or aslight wear would permit the engine to pound up and down, thus causingaggravated wear and increased looseness. There being no lost motion inthe connection at any time, wear is substantially eliminated.

It is evident that various changes may be made in the details ofconstruction without departing from the spirit of the invention. F orexample, Figs. 5 and 6, the overhanging bracket or hearing 16 may besuperseded by the pillow block 30 that rests directly on the uppersurface of the front cross bar 31and is held in place thereon by capscrews or bolts 32 which pass up through the cross bar and through aspacer or filler 33. The cap screws 34:, whereby the cap 19 andsprings-21 are in this instance held in place are aligned with thescrews 32, so that the tapping of the threads in the pillow block ortrunnion bearing is simplified.

Fin either oase,-the cap 19 may be provided with a grease cup 85 wherebythe corresponding bearing is kept lubricated.

The construction is very much less expensive, more compact, andgenerally more efficient than the resilient engine supports, including asub-frame, which have heretofore been used to some extent; it alsorequired no careful machining operations and is, in that particular lessexpensive than ordinary supports in which the engine rests directly onthe frame or on brackets carried by the .between these iently held cap,whereby frame. \Vhile it is use on trucks and other heavy duty vehicles,it may, of course be applied to ordinary pleasure vehicles.

ln Figs. 7 and 8 the supporting members are shown integral with thecrank case base or oil pan, which construction allows of quick andeconomical replacement or repair of damaged parts.

To repeat :the engine is resiliently held down andis free for slightuniversal tilting movement at all three points of support, at its rearend it may shift slightly laterally in either direction to transmit thestresses directly from and to the frame and to relieve the bolts fromshear; the front and rear edges of the rear supporting arms may alsorise slightly from the corresponding edges of the brackets, which doesaway with the tendency to strip the threads of the bolts or to breakthe-arms; and the front portion or even the whole of the engine ma shiftslightly bodily longitudinally of the frame to compensate for thermalchanges or to afford slight initial adjustment. \Vitlial,'theconstruction is stiff, in so far as the combined engine and trunnion isconcerned, there being no relative movement parts and therefore noopportunity for wear and looseness.

I am aware that three-point supports have been used for variousequipment in connection with motor vehicles, and also that resilientconnections have been provided. I do not broadly claim the same asnovel, nor do I claim a construction wherein an auxiliary frame isemployed to support a power plant, the frame being in turn primarilyintended for resiliently supported on the regular vehias set forth thepresent specification, are attained i claii-n:

l. l... motor vehicle, a frame, an engine,

means for supporting Irame, said eans comprising a narrow ke ele entfixed to the engine, in which the element is received ch bearingsurrounds said flangelike element, said bearing including a resiltheelement is permitted to tilt and whereby wear is avoided.

2. a motor vehicle, a front cross bar, an engine, means for supportingthe front portion of the engine on the cross bar, said means includingan extension on the engine having a narrow flange-like bearing element,a bearing for said element carried by the cross bar which bearingsurrounds said flange-like element, said bearing inc? a resiliently heldcap, whereby the the engine on the bearing on the frame surrounding saidenginemay tilt transversely and longitudinally of the vehicle withoutinducing objectionable stresses in the supporting means.

3. A motor. vehicle comprising a frame, an engine, and means forsupporting an end portion of the engine on the frame'and for permittinguniversal relative tilting movement between the engine and frame and foralso allowing said end portion of the engine to slide longitudinally inrespect to the frame, said means including a narrow trunnion bearingsurface on the engine and a longer trunnion bearing surface and withinwhich the same is received.

4. In a motor vehicle, a front cross bar, an engine including ahollowforward extension adapted to receive a starter crank shaft, saidextension including a flange having a cylindrical outer surface, abearing" carried by the cross bar and having a cylindrical surface onwhich the first mentioned surface rests and is slidable, said extensionbeing free for universal swinging movement relatively to the bearing.

5. In a motor vehicle, an engine casing I including a portion forming achamber adapted to receive gearing, a hollow cover for said chamber andextending forwardly therefrom, a tubular member connected to the coverand adapted to enclose a starter crank shaft, and a bearing surroundingthe tubular member for supporting the engine for slight universaltilting movement.

6. In a motor vehicle, an engine, including a casing, a'tubular memberrigid with the casing and adapted to enclose'a starter crank shaft, anda bearing engaging the exterior of said tubular member, the parts beingso constructed and arranged that the tubular member may slide slightlyl0ngitudi-' nally of the engine and may also have limited universalswinging movement relatively to the bearing. i

7. In a motor vehicle, a front cross bar, an engine having a forwardextension having a narrow ring-like bearing surface, .a bearing in whichsaid surface is received, said bearing including a resiliently held caphaving thereon a grease cup whereby the ring-like surface is lubricated.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK A. WHITTEN.

